


Kings of the Weekend

by demonjeans



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, M/M, Teenage Drama, runaways - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-07-26 17:35:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7583452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonjeans/pseuds/demonjeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Dean, Seth, and Roman know is that they needed out. No plans as to where they were headed. No clue that they were going to find two others just as lost them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anybody Out There: Seth

Seth has no clue where he’s going or what he’s doing, he just knows he has to keep moving. So he hikes up his backpack and gets on the bus because it’s the best option. His parents wouldn’t think of it till far too late, considering anything other than some private luxury ride beneath them. The bus is mostly empty, he takes a spot near the back and glances out the window at the night sky.

He doesn’t notice any movement around until some blond shaggy haired teen sits a row in front of him looking at Seth with a grin. “You look way too nice to nice to be on this bus.”

“Excuse me?” Seth raises an eyebrow.

“Where you runnin’ to?” The teen rests his chin on the back of the seat.

“Go away.” Seth returns his focus to the window.

“Aw c’mon, I’m bored and the big guy back there won’t talk to me.” He gestures behind Seth.

Another teen sits in the last row glancing up at them. Long black hair tossed over a shoulder, bronze skin a shade darker than his own, a sort of broad strong face but that might also have to do with him glaring at the other teen.

Seth can’t help smile at that, can’t stop the smugness in his voice. “Think he’s got the right idea.”

And maybe that was the wrong thing to say as the blond becomes defensive. “Fuck you, rich boy.”

Seth tenses then joins in on glaring. “You don’t know me.”

“Lemme guess, didn’t get enough hugs as a kid?”

“Fuck you.” He growls.

“Oh shit, tapped a nerve? Maybe you should go home and hug your pony.”

The next few seconds are a bit of a blur. He doesn’t exactly remember punching the other boy or how he ends up on the aisle floor. Suddenly they’re being pulled apart by the taller teen. Something about the look in his eyes makes Seth freeze in place.

“Stop it.” Is all he says before letting them go and taking his seat.

And they do. Seth goes back to starting out the window while the other teen sulks a few rows over. The silence lasts for a little while, people getting on and off as they leave the city to the less inhabited outskirts. An involuntary shudder rolls through Seth wonders how long it’ll take for his parents to realize he’s gone. It’s Friday night, no way they’ll find out before Monday even if his “bodyguard” tells them they’re out of the country for the weekend. This was Seth’s only chance.

He eyes the moping teen for a moment then gets up and sits a row ahead of him.

“Sorry I hit you.” Seth says and means it, it was dumb to let his temper get the best of him.

The other teen shrugs. “Eh, I was egging you on, I do that. Name’s Dean, by the way.”

“Seth.”

“So, Seth,” Dean grins, “do you have a pony?”

He laughs. “No, I don’t.”

“That’s a damn shame, Seth.”

“What’s the point of having a pony? They’re tiny.”

“Ponies don’t need a point, they’re ponies.” Dean argues. “Fuck, I’d have one if I was rich.”

“How are you so sure I’m rich?”

“You kidding? It’s fuckin’ obvious. And you smell really good, which sounds creepy, sorry, but it’s a dead giveaway.”

Seth stares at him confused. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Cause you probably don’t know any better. Not takin’ a shot, just sayin’.”

Seth frowns and looks away.

“So where you goin’?” Dean asks.

“No idea.” Seth answers with a shrug. “You?”

“Same. Just gotta get the fuck away, you know?”

“Yea.” He nods and Dean turns to the other teen in the back.

“See, we can get along. Space over here for you, too.” Dean says only receiving a brief look in response.

“What’s his name?” 

“No clue. Been tryin’ to talk to him all night. Dunno why, guess I’m nosey.”

“Yea, you are.” Seth comments.

“Hey, you came over here.”

“‘Fuck you, rich boy’ doesn’t ring any bells?”

“Well… yea, fine.”

It’s near one in the morning when the bus reaches its transfer point, the three of them along with others shuffling off and into the freezing night. The driver stands at the bottom step on of the doorway and informs the small group that the next bus won’t be arriving until the next day due to mechanical issues.

“What the fuck?!” Dean shouts. “And you’re just gonna leave us here?!”

“There’s a hotel down the road. All night diner, too. Take your pick.” The driver says before closing the doors.

“Fucker.” Dean grumbles, practically throws himself at the bus stop bench right next to the larger teen.

Seth eyes the group already heading for the neon sign of the hotel. Glances at the two boys he just met, has no reason hanging around with but feels this strange connection towards.

“You guys just gonna sit out here?” Seth asks.

“Unlike you, some of us can’t afford a room and diners snitch on runaways.” Dean replies and the other boy shrugs. 

“...I could get us a room.” He says and Dean’s already glaring at him. “It’s not pity so don’t even fucking start. We’re all running from some fucking mess don’t have to sleep outside on top of it.”

It kind of feels good to vent out a little frustration even if it’s something so small and it seems to work. Dean answers with a huff but stands up along with the other boy.

“So since we’re all sharing a room think it’s fair you tell us your name.” Dean looks at the larger teen, neither of them expecting a response.

But he does, voice subdued. “Roman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure this idea's been done a hundred times but I've got some thoughts so I'm just gonna dive in and see what happens! Hope ya'll enjoy <3


	2. Anybody Out There: Dean

Dean’s not totally sold on Seth lasting more than a day or two. Maybe he shouldn’t judge, doesn’t really know shit about him yet, but if Dean had money he wouldn’t throw that life away like it was nothing. He’s gotta commend him on the punch though, Dean’s pretty sure he’s gonna end up with a bruise but that’s nothing new for him. At least Seth apologized, looked sincere about it, too.

“So how we gonna get a room?” Dean asks outside the hotel. “They’re gonna peg us as runaways.”

“Uh… shit.” Seth stares at the building. “Which one of us looks oldest?”

“Roman.” Dean says and Roman visibly tenses.

Seth considers the taller teen for a moment, like he’s reading him or some shit. “Do you wanna?”

Roman immediately shakes his head and Dean sighs. “I’ll do it.”

“Nah, I got it.” Seth says.

“You look the youngest!” Dean points out.

“Yea, well, he doesn’t talk and you just look angry.”

Dean’s about to tell Seth to go fuck himself when to both teens surprise Roman laughs. Fucking laughs. Which in turn causes them all giggle like idiots, tension falling away. And of course Seth gets a room easy, throws him a smirk as he twirls the room key around his finger. Maybe Seth will last a week, maybe.

The room is pretty average for the area, peeling wallpaper, odd stains on the carpet, he can already imagine what the bathroom must be like. He glances over at Seth expecting to see a look of disgust. Instead the other teen is throwing his backpack on one of the beds and asks Dean if he doesn’t mind sharing a bed with him. Dean says it’s fine and adds an extra day to that week. Each of them takes turns in the mold ridden bathroom, he attempts to strike up a conversation with Roman but it doesn’t really get anywhere.

“So how come me and you are sharing a bed and not him?” He asks Seth when it’s Roman’s turn. 

“He needs it.” Seth says like it’s obvious. “I mean, look at his eyes, he’s hurt.”

“We’re all hurt.” He counters.

“Yea, but he’s shit at hiding it.”

And for once Dean finds himself unable to argue because when he thinks about it for a minute Seth is right. There’s a certain look to Roman past the glares he had first gotten that reminds Dean of himself in his worst moments. The times where he shouldn’t be surprised the world’s falling apart and yet he is. Suddenly he feels like he needs to watch out for Roman cause nobody fucking did for him. Almost wants to laugh at himself because this was not at all the night he was picturing to have.

All Dean knows is that he wants to get as far away from his so called family as possible. The people who were supposed to give a shit about him that only saw Dean as a punching bag or someone to scream their miseries at like he was the cause of it all. For a long time he thought he was, probably looked exactly like Roman does now. He’s not really sure when it all clicked but for years now his only goal was running. Sadly, he had been failing miserably at it but there was something about Seth and Roman that made him hopeful. He hated it and couldn’t stop it, maybe there was some tiny part of him that didn’t want to.

Sleep comes easier than Dean expects, the bed is stiff as a brick but he feels oddly safe with the other two in the room. He’ll grumble about that later he’s too tired right now to think too heavily. He falls into a dreamless sleep for a few hours wakes up to the mattress shifting as Seth gets up, hears the bathroom door softly close. Again, he’s thinking about how weird all this is when his ears pick up something else, crying. Slowly Dean sits up in bed, glances over to Roman’s bed and his heart fucking breaks.

The room’s dark, just the dim lights from outside filtering in but Dean can see Roman curled up tight, trying to keep quiet as he shakes. A second later Seth steps out of the bathroom and gives him a curious look. He gestures at Roman watches Seth go through the same range of emotions he just did. Seth walks over to Roman’s bed, hesitates a moment before carefully sitting along the edge.

“Roman?” Seth’s voice is quiet putting a hand on his arm.

Roman stiffens, Dean is pretty sure he hears an apology from him and it makes Dean’s heart sink even more.

“It’s ok, don’t worry about it.” Seth says in a reassuring tone that has Dean eyeing him.

Watching the two interact in such a gentle way leaves Dean feeling a bit mesmerized, he wants to be a part of it. However, he pushes the thought aside as Roman gets up and heads to the bathroom.

Dean sighs. “You know, I was just tryin’ to get the hell away from my place. Not get stuck with two other guys as fucked up as me.”

Seth gives a light laugh walking back to his side of the bed. “You’re fault for talking to me, I guess.”

“Me and my big mouth.” He runs a hand through his hair and yawns.

“Not so bad, really.” Seth catches his yawn. “Better than being alone.”

Despite himself Dean kind of agrees, even when he sees Roman comes back into the room looking so small for someone who’s the complete opposite. If Dean was alone he’d have probably done something stupid and antagonized the wrong person, end up at some police station for the hundredth time. Seth might’ve lost his nerve and headed back home, or worse with the way he looks it’s likely someone would’ve tried to mug him. Roman looks tough, Dean was certain when he first tried talking to him Roman was going to be the one to deck him, but Seth was right once he took a real good look at Roman Dean could see that he was scared. Maybe the three of them getting stuck together wasn’t such a bad thing.


	3. Anybody Out There: Roman

It takes a moment for Roman to remember where he is and what happened the night before. A mixed feeling of excitement and fear tinged with an uneasy sense of hope swirls within him. He’d been on the bus for hours feeling like he was going to puke when Dean had gotten on and sat a few rows ahead of him, flashed him a smile like he knew Roman or something. He hated the way it made him instantly tense up, Dean was a stranger he didn’t need to worry. Turns out he was mostly right Dean tried to talk to him a few times never getting much further than a nod or one word answer.

It wasn’t like Roman didn’t want to talk to him, Dean seemed friendly enough, but he just couldn’t make himself. He might say the wrong thing or sound like a complete idiot. So he didn’t say anything because that was generally the best course of action. People saw him as some brooding giant and left him alone but that wasn’t going to be the case with Dean and Seth apparently. Roman’s not sure how he feels about that, sort of scared that they seem to see right through him but there’s a wave of relief that follows along with it.

And then he had a damn panic attack in the middle of the night. Roman tried so hard to snap himself out of it, mentally yelling at himself to stop being such a child, but it only made things worse. No one knew he left, there was no way they could find him so soon. He was safe. But it wouldn’t last, Roman knew it wouldn’t and then he’d be back home and asked to explain himself. And he wouldn’t because every time he thought of speaking up his throat got tight and the words would disappear. No one would believe him, anyway. 

When Seth had sat with Roman he had truly thought the other two were going to laugh at him just like the last time he had shown any vulnerability around his friends. Not that Dean or Seth were now his friends, that’s a giant leap to make in less than a day. They were pretty cool though, he actually felt comfortable around them which on its own was totally bizarre. They all had to get away from some hell that they were living, it was easy to understand even without the specifics. 

“When’s the bus get here?” Roman hears Dean ask.

Roman peeks through half lidded eyes to the other bed, neither of the two had gotten up yet. Makes him mildly happy that they have a tough time getting up as well.

“Just said tomorrow. Didn’t give a time.” Seth responds sounding groggy.

“Vague motherfucker.” Dean grumbles and Roman bites the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing.

“You don’t even know where you’re going.” Seth argues.

“Yea, but I wanna go.”

“Your eyes aren’t even open.” Seth says then yelps. “You fucking kicked me!”

“That’s for staring. And shut up you’re gonna wake up Roman.”

Roman can hear Seth give an over dramatic sigh and finds himself smiling, burrows his face into the blanket to hide it. 

“Thought about where you’re goin’?” Dean asks a moment later.

“Dunno. West is opposite of home so… West. You?”

“Some place warm.” Dean lets out a tired laugh. “A beach, never been to one.”

“Really?”

“Not all of us go on fancy vacations.” Dean mutters and Roman begins to worry about another fight between the two.

“Kinda pointless cause they keep me locked inside the whole time. Out of sight, out of mind, can’t embarrass them.” 

“Embarrass them?”

“Yea, it’s… yea.” He hears shuffling from the other bed, footsteps. “I know you said the diner was a bad move but I’m really fucking hungry.”

“Morning’s not bad, doesn’t set off alarm bells like two AM, make sense?” Dean says and Roman takes the opportunity to stretch, pretending to just wake up.

“Oh. Yea, guess it does.” Seth says and with terrible timing on his part Roman opens his eyes meeting Seth’s. Even worse is when he smiles at Roman. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He responds, hates the way his voice sounds in the morning. Too deep, makes his mind drift to places he’d rather not go.

“We’re gonna get some food then go to the beach, you should come with.” Seth’s smile growing a little wider as he turns for the bathroom. 

“Don’t listen to him.” Dean says rolling his eyes. “He’s an ass.”

“I’m not joking.” Seth leans against the doorway. “It’s a plan, which none of us seem to have.”

“Never asked Roman.”

And he’s anxious again, can’t quite look at either of them but somehow manages to get the words out. “Asked what?”

“Where you’re going.” Seth says and he shrugs. 

He didn’t think that far ahead. It was like Dean had said last night he just wanted to get away.

“Great.” Dean laughs. “None of us have a fucking clue.”

“Beach it is.” Seth nods.

“You said West.” Dean counters.

“West coast, then.”

“Los Angeles.” Roman says, surprising himself. Automatically locks his eyes down to the floor, hoping that maybe they didn’t hear him. 

“There we go, an actual place.” Seth actually seems pleased with his comment, the tension in Roman’s shoulders slowly relaxing.

“Fuck it.” Dean huffs a small laugh. “Worth a shot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked the first glimpse into the trio! This has so far been an interesting little thing to play with and we'll see what the future holds for them. Big thanks for all the kudos and comments! <3


	4. Dressed in Dreams: Dean

For the next day and a half the three of them sit together at the back of the bus just like they had been the night they left Cincinnati now traveling through what seemed liked nothingness in Iowa. Dean’s amazed they’ve made it so far, him especially in all honesty. He gets antsy and other people start to look at him like he’s trouble. With Roman and Seth no one even notices them aside from being noisy teenagers, and that was just him and Seth bickering about some dumb thing. He has a feeling that’s something that might happen on the regular because Seth’s reactionary in a way that makes Dean want to keep talking. His dumb laugh that causes Roman to smile and it all has Dean feeling weirdly happy. 

Being far away from his piece of shit family probably adds quite a bit to that happiness.

There’s no angry shouting from his mother’s long time boyfriend who doesn’t even deserve that title, he’s the lowest form of trash. Every few months she kicks him out and a week later he’s back. Dean finds them both of the floor out of their fucking minds on some trip. Every time he thinks of grabbing a kitchen knife and slitting the bastard’s throat. He doesn’t because his mother would never forgive him. She’s made it very clear that she doesn’t love Dean anywhere near as much. 

Right now none of that matters. Sure, it still hurts but he’s away from it and has a real chance of keeping it that way. It’s silly to give two people such credit so early but maybe Roman and Seth were exactly what he needed. Because they aren’t looking at Dean like he’s just some kid with a shitty life, they look at him like he’s a friend they could commiserate with. They all got dealt a poor hand and for a long time probably thought that’s all there was to life, then they found each other. 

When the trio reach the next bus station they stare at the listings of departures, trying to decide where to go. Dean sees one that catches his eye and points to it.

“That one. Colorado. I’ve seen pictures of mountains and shit, looks nice. Either of you been there?”

Roman shakes his head and Seth frowns when he speaks it’s a bit deflated. “When I was little, some winter resort thing. I don’t remember much.”

“Then it doesn’t count. Sound good?”

They both give a little nod. “But it’s in like three hours and this place reeks.” Seth frowns.

“Looked nice outside.” Roman says, so they buy their tickets and head outside.

The station is out of the way of everything but the sun is bright and warm, feels nice on his skin as they walk down the main road to what looks like a tiny strip mall in the distance. He glances at the other two can’t help a grin watching them both soaking in the sun as well. And part of Dean wishes he had met them years ago when he really needed someone to look at him as though he wasn’t a burden to the entire universe. Then he remembers they both had their own shit to deal with. The empathy that hits him right after is even stranger, they barely know each other but Dean is totally ready to travel all the way to LA with them. 

It’s confusing as hell but he honestly doesn’t want to question it.

Maybe if Dean knew more about them his head would settle. Getting Seth to talk is easy, although so far it’d only been pointless chit chat, he had gotten an ounce of something at the hotel so that was a start. Roman is going to be a lot more tricky, Dean thinks he wants to talk but keeps stopping himself. After the other night Dean’s determined to change that, can tell Seth is too from the way he nudges their conversations towards Roman. Yea, all they get is short answers but again, it’s something.

The strip mall is possibly one of the saddest Dean’s ever seen. Most everything is closed except for a Hollywood themed diner that makes no sense being in the middle of fucking nowhere Iowa.

“We have to.” Dean can’t hide the amusement in his voice.

“I… uh, I don’t trust it.” Seth says, eyeing the diner with caution.

“It’s this or the vending machines at the station. The station that smells like piss.” He adds.

“Least it wouldn’t be in the food.” Seth grumbles and Dean has to hold back a snort.

He turns to Roman hoping to get him on his side. “C’mon, might not be horrible.”

Roman looks at the diner with its cheesy theater sign that doesn’t quite have enough letters so they’ve resorted to using numbers. And then it happens, he sees the tiniest glimmer of a smile on Roman’s face and Dean knows he’s won.

“We have to.” Roman repeats his words and Dean cheers while Seth groans in defeat.


	5. Dressed in Dreams: Roman

The diner is surprisingly not terrible, it’s kind of nice actually if incredibly hokey. It's pretty empty, the three of them find a booth, Dean sitting beside him while Seth sits across. Dean looks triumphant as the largest basket of fries Roman has ever seen arrives at their table.

“Can’t tell me you don’t want this.” Dean grins at Seth who rolls his eyes.

“Shut up.”

Roman finds himself smiling again and it’s the strangest feeling being around these two. He doesn’t even feel this comfortable around his friends, that said he’s never been that close with his friends, they forget he exists half the time. Whenever he hangs out with them Roman’s always told he’s too quiet and in turn boring to be around. Dean and Seth haven’t called him boring yet but it’s only been about a day. What sucks is if they say it Roman thinks it’ll hurt a hell of a lot worse than when his friends do.

He wasn’t always so horrendously shy, he used to be outgoing and even loud to an extent but that felt like a lifetime ago. Before his family moved out to the suburbs with the promise of it being nice, quiet, and safe. By appearances it was and still is and maybe that’s why Roman couldn’t take it anymore. If no one listened to a twelve year old trying to voice his discomfort what was a constantly anxious seventeen year old supposed to do? Thankfully, he’s pulled away from the minefield in his head by Dean and Seth squabbling over something again.

“There’s no way you do.” Seth says. “You’re trying to fuck with me.”

“Is it that impossible that I could ride a fuckin’ skateboard?”

“You look like you’d fall off.”

“Cause I’m not a wannabe punk kid like you?” He snaps a little harshly. “Do you even skate?”

Roman watches Seth’s shoulders sag like some sudden automatic shutdown, his voice becoming empty. “I, uh- whatever. Fine, you win.”

It’s not a resolution that sits well with Roman or Dean for that matter as the blond leans forward, hands on the table.

“Wait, don’t do that. I wasn’t tryin’- I thought we were just bein’ dumb. Whatever the three of us got goin’-” He pauses and Roman wishes he’d finish the thought but Dean moves on. “I don’t wanna fuck it up.”

“You didn’t.” Seth says quietly. “Just got lost in my head for a sec.”

And Roman wants to tell Seth he understands. That half the time he’s trapped in his own damn head. As is usually the case the words don’t come but he catches the other teens eyes, feels a familiar pang of nervousness hits. Seth has a way of looking at him, Roman’s slowly learning, like he can read him. It makes Roman worried at how obvious he must be but there’s this tiny sense of relief with it that doesn’t make any sense. 

The three of them traveling together doesn’t either but he bought his ticket to Colorado without a second thought.

“You ok?” Seth asks.

“I,uh- I-” He nods, lying. “...yea.”

Dean turns in his seat leans an elbow on the table, looking at him. “How many times has some dumbass told you ‘You should just talk more’?”

“All the time.” Roman manages to say. 

“Like you can flip a fuckin’ switch, right? We’re not gonna do that shit, but if you wanna say something, anything, we’re around.”

“Look at you pulling out all the sweet speeches.” Seth teases then looks at Roman with that smile again. “He’s right though. If we’re really gonna do this and try for LA we gotta be there for each other. I mean, ok, it’s been like a day but, um…” 

“We’re all fucked.” Dean fills in and Seth laughs. “But none of us wanna go home so right now we’re all each others got. So yea," Dean gives an almost embarrassed sounding laugh and runs a hand through his hair. "...sorry that was probably a lot at once.”

It’s a bit overwhelming, no one’s ever said anything like that to him before. What is he supposed to say? Thank you, he should say thank you. Except he’s been blankly staring at his plate for who knows how long.

“It’s ok.” He mumbles. “...I’ll try.” It’s not exactly the thank you Roman was planning but Dean and Seth seem happy with his answer.

How could two people that he barely knew be so kind? When were they going to pull the rug from underneath him? Roman wants to anticipate it, plan for the eventuality of being alone. Except when he eyes the other two this sort of pleasant feeling rolls through him like maybe he could have real friends. And even if he says absolutely nothing Roman feels like, with them, he might have a voice.


	6. Dressed in Dreams: Seth

Seth never really had friends growing up. It didn't help that he had only attended school from kindergarten to fourth grade and on top of that being labeled as a troublemaker at the get go. He never tried to be, Seth just had a hard time sitting still which in turn lead to teasing from his classmates and looks of disdain from his teachers. Despite those things he was heartbroken being taken out of school to be given private lessons at home. Suddenly all his daily interactions were gone leaving him on his own.

Until two nights ago, that is. 

Roman and Dean are something else, around them Seth feels like he has a chance at real friendship. It's exciting and a little scary but as they board the bus set for Colorado he desperately hopes that this will last. He sits in the back beside Roman while Dean takes a spot in the row ahead of them sitting sideways and stretching his legs out over the seats. There’s a content little smile on Dean’s face that gives him a warm feeling, glances over at Roman who’s staring out the window and hopes he’s thinking about what they said at the diner. The funny thing is that Seth’s not sure he can follow through with what was said. 

It’s important that Roman become comfortable and unafraid of speaking his mind. Dean seems to have no trouble letting things out at all even if it leads to them snarking back and forth at each other. That Seth can handle, anything past it felt like murky waters he isn’t sure he should wade into. Dean didn’t have a wealthy family like him and Roman is clearly lost and struggling, Seth’s issues feel minuscule in comparison. Regardless, he wouldn’t trade anything in the whole world for at least a couple more days of this. 

“Hey, Earth to Seth.” Dean waves a hand in front of him.

“Huh?” He blinks. “What?”

“You never answered my question.”

He stares, confused. “What question?”

“If you skate.”

Seth sighs, doesn’t want to answer. “Not really.” 

“Well that’s not vague or anything.” Dean says. “I’m not gonna make fun of you, promise.”

“You kinda did earlier.” Seth points out.

“I- Well, I get under peoples skin sometimes. Kind of a bad habit.”

Seth thinks of the night they all met and grins. “Noticed.”

“So what’s not really?” Dean presses.

Of course this would happen the minute Seth decides he wants to keep things close to the chest. What if they laugh and tell him to go home?

“I had a skateboard for like a week before it got taken away. My parents… uh, I never-” He stops himself and shrugs. “Was fun while it lasted.”

“Why’d they take it away?”

“They, uh-” He notices Roman’s eyeing him and stiffens up. “I dunno.”

Dean doesn’t know when to quit, though. Which may or may not be a good thing, he hasn’t decided yet.

“You know, being able to say shit isn’t just for Roman it goes for all of us. Like I said, we’re all fucked but look at where we are. It’s- uh, fuck, where was I going with this…”

Seth laughs. “I think we get it. But it’s weird, right?” He glances up at Roman then to Dean. “Years of not saying shit then suddenly here’s two guys that you’re just gonna… trust, I guess.”

It’s a bit of a heavy word and for a moment Seth’s unsure if he should’ve said it.

But Roman nods. “Yea.”

“Fuckin’ crazy, right?” Dean’s smiling and Seth feels himself doing the same. 

“It’s complicated.” Seth begins answering Dean’s previous question. “My parents want things perfect which, uh, doesn’t really include me unless it’s necessary otherwise I’m kept outta the way. But it’s-” He shrugs again, shakes his head.

Neither laugh which is nice, eyes Dean who seems to be looking him over like he’s reassessing Seth.

“So you’re like Rapunzel.” Dean says, completely straight-faced.

“Fuck you, you said you weren’t gonna make fun!” Seth glares, his face heating up.

“I’m not!” He holds his hands up trying to calm the other teen. “I’m totally serious. It wasn’t a happy story! At least at first.”

Seth covers his face with his hands. “I don’t even…” 

“Anyway, they’re not here and they can’t do shit.” Dean says brightly. “Think about that.”

He drops his hands. “Yea, true.”

The prospect of freedom feels more and more real with every mile traveled. Two nights ago Seth never imagined getting this far and it wasn’t necessarily a great distance but the possibilities that lay ahead of them give him a sense of hope that he hadn’t felt in years. 

“You know, my fault,” Dean starts after a beat. “It’s gonna be real tempting to call you princess. Not outta meanness, I swear!”

Seth can feel Roman trying to suppress a laugh and glares at Dean but there’s no real heat behind it. “Do it and I’ll punch you in the face again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be off on my own traveling adventure next week so no updates for a little bit. Apologies in advance!


	7. All I Wanna Do

Dean expected there would be trouble on this ridiculous journey the three of them decided to go on. He just didn’t expect it would come in the form of Dean puking his guts out. It’s Seth’s fault, mostly. Maybe a little his own but he’s not going to admit that.

“You shouldn’t have listened to me!” Seth stands at the doorway of their hotel bathroom.

“You dared me!” Dean shouts back slumped in front of the toilet, resting his head on his arms.

“It was a joke! That you started, by the way!”

And yea, that was true but Seth wasn’t dying which just makes him more annoyed. A few hours ago the bus pulled up to its stop for the night and instead of hitting up another diner they settled for the nearby gas station. Big giant fucking mistake. Roman was smart, bought something factory sealed and safe. Dean was wandering aimlessly down the aisle when Seth motioned him over.

“How long do you think it’s been there?” Seth asked looking at the refrigerated prepared food.

The myth. The legend. Gas station sushi.

“Try it and find out.” Dean eyed the off colored fish in it’s sad little plastic box. 

Seth made a disgusted noise. “No way.”

“Aw, too delicate?” He teased setting off the challenge.

“Bet you couldn’t eat three of those without gagging.”

“Not interested in dying before LA.”

“Didn’t peg you as a chicken.” He said casually like Dean was supposed to just walk away from that.

Now it was Dean’s turn to stare daggers at him. “Ok then, but you’re having some with me.”

Seth paled immediately. “I- I don’t-”

“Nope.” Dean grabbed the offending food and waved it in front of the other’s face. “You brought this on yourself, princess.”

“Don’t call me that!” 

They split the god awful sushi, Roman, once again smarter than them, refused to take part in their stupidity. Two hours later Dean has vomited three times while Seth is perfectly fine. Fucker. 

When he’s sure he can’t possibly throw up anymore he curls up on the bed Roman’s kindly gotten ready for him. Seth is at least apologetic about it too, asking if he needs anything. Both of them being this nice is so damn odd to him. Not because of them but it’s hard to remember the last time anyone’s ever cared for him like this. He looks over at the other two on the opposite bed and feels ok.

Sick as shit but ok.

“How’re you not sick?” He grumbles at Seth who shrugs. “I so don’t like you anymore.”

And Roman fails to hold back a quiet laugh so he attempts to glare at him, too. He probably looks like an angry slug but whatever.

“Since I’m dyin’ I want answers.”

“You’re not dying.” Seth says but Dean ignores him.

“This is your fault. Totally. Put it on my gravestone. Seth killed me.”

It’s enough to earn him an exasperated look followed by the younger teen tightly crossing his arms. “Fine. What answers?”

“You ran cause of your parents, right?”

“Really? This now? Why don’t you ask Roman something?”

“Cause he didn’t poison me. And, you’re not gonna tell me shit are you?” He glances at Roman.

Roman takes a second before answering. “Depends.”

So he asks the obvious. “Why’d you run?”

And of course he doesn’t get an answer, Roman looks away and Dean feels like an ass. Usually this is Seth’s moment to step in but Dean presses on, decides to make things ok his own way.

“My mom… I couldn’t be there anymore. She probably doesn’t know I’m gone. Or doesn’t care.” Dean keeps his gaze set to the floor. “Past few days have been, I dunno, really nice. Aside from the whole dyin’ thing, course.”

“Yea… It has.” Roman agrees. “So quit dying, ok?”

Dean gawks at Roman then to Seth both of them staring at each other in complete shock. “Did he just make a joke?”

“He did.” Seth grins wide.

“Shoulda puked my guts out sooner, I guess.” He says and the three of them fall into laughter.

Slowly he begins to drift off, tired smile on his face. He’ll wake up tomorrow and they’ll still be there. He’s starting to truly believe that there’s something special between the three of them. That it’s ok to be hopeful. That things can be ok and maybe he’ll know what it’s like to be happy for more than five minutes. Thinks of the past few days and realizes he already does and despite feeling awful right now there’s no way he wants to give any of this up, at all. If ever.

-

It’s not all that difficult talking to Roman, which admittedly Seth was worried about at first. Because Seth hasn’t really spoken to anyone in years and while Dean’s a whirlwind of chatter Roman is much more subdued. The thing is it doesn’t make him any less communicative, he just needed to pay attention. The subtleties in looks and gestures say a lot without saying anything. Which is a good thing as neither want to wake Dean.

He spares a glance at the other teen feeling guilty for getting him sick. A sigh escapes his lips and a moment later Roman nudges at him to go to bed.

“I’m not tired.” He mumbles and knows Roman doesn’t buy it.

So Seth gives in and flops down beside him. They’ve only spent a few nights in hotel rooms and this is the first time he and Roman are sharing a bed. It’s usually him and Dean on one and Roman on the other. They’re smaller and he’s learned that Dean tends to kick away the blanket while Seth burrows himself into a cocoon. This isn’t the case with Roman and it makes him want to laugh seeing him in a blanket cave while Seth freezes to death.

Maybe that’s a little exaggeration. Dean’s fault, probably.

When Roman notices the only word that comes to mind is cute because he genuinely looks a bit embarrassed. Seth just smiles and accepts admission into the cave. He notes that it takes a moment for Roman to not be terribly tense and he thinks of excusing himself and moving to the other bed but then Roman surprises him. 

“I’m not running from my parents.” Roman whispers. “You can tell Dean that.”

Seth just stares dumbly, it might be the most he’s ever said in one go. He manages to nod and gives a quiet ok.

“I barely see mine.” Seth says in response. “Dean was kinda right about the Rapunzel thing, don’t tell him that.”

And Roman finally begins to relax. There’s a lot he wants to ask and eventually he’ll know so Seth settles in, lets his eyes close. Sleep doesn’t last as long as he’d like, however. Seth’s restless, and dreams of the night he ran away but it’s different. This time he gets caught, his bodyguard's hand painfully gripping his wrist pulling him back into the house. He’s panicking, if he can’t leave he’ll never find Dean and Roman, and he’ll be trapped for the rest of his life.

Suddenly he’s back in the darkened room pushing hard against something, someone, and falling off the mattress with a thud. He rubs at his eyes, blinking tiredly back up at the bed while Roman leans forward looking concerned. Glancing over to Dean he breathes a sigh of relief, thankfully he’s still asleep.

“You ok?” Roman asks.

“Dean throws up and I get nightmares.” He groans climbing up onto the bed. “Please stop us from being so stupid next time.”

-

Roman’s had long nights before. Nights where his head wouldn’t settle down and he’d lay in bed until the sun came up. It’s nothing new and yet seeing Seth doing the same bothers him. He looks miserable and Roman’s not sure what he can do to help.

“You should sleep.” Seth tells him.

“You had a nightmare.”

“It was dumb.” He says turning on his side to face him. “My- I was trying to leave but I got caught this time. And I was freaking out cause I needed to get to you guys.” Seth sighs at himself. “It’s dumb, I know.”

“It’s not.” Roman replies so quickly he surprises himself.

If Seth hadn’t gotten on the bus that night would he have gotten as far as he is now? He and Dean would’ve been stuck on a cold bench in the middle of the night. They might’ve started talking, at least Dean would while Roman tried to keep himself calm. Seth easily slipped into the buffer role between them, keeping conversation with Dean and somehow making Roman feel like he wasn’t the odd man out. They had just clicked from night one, ready to go on some adventure together. It was so strange yet none of them seemed to question it, they all wanted to hold onto it as long as they could. 

“We need each other.” Roman whispers, unsure if Seth even hears him. 

He does and suddenly Roman’s being hugged and again he has no clue what to do. He hates how he tenses up, certain it’s why Seth pulls away so quickly. The younger teen sits up and apologizes but Roman wants to tell him it’s alright. That it was actually kind of nice but the words get lost and tangled in his throat. 

“Cute.” Dean croaks from the other bed making them both look over.

“How long have you been awake?” Seth asks.

“Since you fell off the bed. Nightmares, huh?”

Seth doesn’t answer, stares at his hands and Deans continues on. “Sucks. Think I was having some weird fever dream, too.”

“Sorry.” Seth says, despondent look back on his face.

“Aw, c’mon. That’s not fair I can’t blame you if you’re gonna pout like that.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Whatever you say. C’mere, let Roman sleep.”

Seth moves to get up when he reaches out to stop him then hesitates but the youngest teen is eyeing him, hint of a smile on his face.

“You shouldn’t stay up cause of us.” He says and Roman opens his mouth to speak then just as quickly closes it.

“Guys are just gonna leave me here in no man’s land?” Dean glowers at them.

“We’re like two feet away.” Seth rolls his eyes.

“Still.”

Seth looks at him then gestures his head to Dean’s bed. “C’mon.”

And somehow a few minutes later Roman finds himself between Dean, who’s still curled up on his side, and Seth who’s sitting beside him their backs to the headboard flipping through tv channels before settling on some cheesy looking monster movie. At first he’s worried that he’s not going to be able to handle being this close to both of them but the tension never comes. Instead he’s grinning as the other two tear the movie apart, Dean’s back pressed against his leg and Seth occasionally leaning into him. It’s kind of comforting, like he doesn’t need to worry and that might be the strangest thing of all. When he said they needed each other he wasn’t expecting something like this. Feeling normal. Feeling safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, sorry guys. I felt a little disheartened with this story so I pushed it away but I felt like dipping my toes back in so we'll see what happens! Also decided to switch it up and post it all in one go see how that works out. Thank you for reading <3


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